Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

First Responders Wear Respirators During Suspected Drug Probe in Weathersfield
WFMJ.com, (05/24/2017)
Some first responders in Ohio have begun wearing respirators on calls involving suspected drug overdoses, following an incident in early May in which an East Liverpool police officer had to be revived with four doses of Narcan following a response to a drug-involved incident. Even minimal exposure to powerful drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil can prove fatal to someone whose system is completely unaccustomed to exposure.
Link to Article

Think You Can Get Away With Speeding? HPD's New Radar Might Change Your Mind
KHON 2, (5/26/2017), Alex Cerball
Honolulu Police Department patrol cars are being equipped with new radar devices that allow officers to monitor speeds of cars in front of them, behind them and coming from the opposite direction, all while officers continue to drive. The department has used federal grant money to install the sensors in 20 patrol cars, which will reduce the need for officers to stand by the side of the road with radar-measuring devices.
Link to Article

In Opioid Crisis, a New Risk for Police: Accidental Overdose
Fox45now.com, (05/27/2017), Juliet Linderman for the Associated Press
The Harford County (Md.) Sheriff's Office has purchased 100 kits that include a protective suit, booties, gloves and face masks for use by deputies responding to potential drug scenes. The kits are a response to a recent incident in which Cpl. Kevin Phillips had to be revived by the anti-overdose drug Narcan after he collected investigative evidence while wearing gloves. It is thought that Phillips' overdose came from exposure to Carfentanil.
Link to Article

Two Georgia Officers Shot; Gunman Sought
Officer.com, (05/302/2017), Steve Burns for the Atlanta Constitution
Two officers in College Park, Ga., survived an encounter with an armed gunman after a confrontation in a restaurant Saturday afternoon. Neither officer was seriously injured; one survived a shot in the abdomen thanks to his ballistic-resistant vest, while the other took a hit that was primarily deflected by his radio. The suspect remains at large.
Link to Article

Corrections News

County to Arm Correctional Officers With Pepper Spray
The Citizens' Voice, (05/24/2017), Bill Wellock
Guards at the Luzerne County (Penn.) Correctional Facility will begin carrying pepper spray with them on a routine basis. Prompted by the death of corrections Officer Kristopher Moules in July 2016, the new policy represents a change from the facility previously only making the spray available on every floor of the facility.
Link to Article

New Law Allows Prison Inmates to Attend Funerals, Visit Dying Loved Ones
GoUpstate.com, (05/24/2017), Daniel J. Gross
A law recently passed in South Carolina will allow correctional inmates temporary release to attend funerals and visit dying loved ones. The South Carolina Department of Corrections is responsible for providing transportation and security.
Link to Article

Missouri to Remove Hundreds of GPS Monitoring Devices Recently Put on Sex Offenders
Government Technology, (05/23/2017), Jesse Bogan for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A temporary injunction will require the state of Missouri to remove 364 offender tracking devices placed on individuals in April as a consequence of a revision to the state criminal code that took effect Jan. 1. The new law required individuals who met specific criteria to wear the monitors for life even if lifetime monitoring had not been part of their original sentence. The group included individuals who had already completed state supervision, and one of these individuals filed the suit that resulted in the injunction.
Link to Article

KSTP Investigation Leads State to Ban GPS Tracking of DUI Offenders
5ABC.com, (05/30/2017)
Investigative reports by KSTP have led to a new Minnesota law that will halt GPS tracking of Minnesota residents who must pass an ignition interlock system's breathalyzer test to start their vehicles. The reporting indicated that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety required the DUI offenders to install the new systems without informing them that the devices had GPS capabilities that would allow the state to track their driving patterns.
Link to Article

Drone, Drugs, 10-inmate Fight Lock Down Auburn Correctional Facility
Syracuse.com, (05/26/2017), Samantha House
A fight broke out in the exercise yard at New York's Auburn Correctional Facility on May 23, spreading to involve 10 men before corrections officers broke up the fight with pepper spray and a gas canister. Following the fight, officers confiscated two inmate-made slashing weapons. The previous day, a contraband search had turned up a knife and a drone inside the facility, which remained on lockdown.
Link to Article

Cell Phone Smuggling in Richmond County Jails Have Decreased
News Channel 6, (05/24/2017), Derrikia Young
In Georgia's Richmond County, Jail Warden Evan Joseph says that mixing up contraband searches on a random basis to include weekends, as well as the addition of 32 more surveillance cameras, may be behind a recent decrease in the number of contraband cell phones found by corrections staff. Inmates often use the phones to arrange for the smuggling of additional contraband and to continue their criminal activities while behind bars.
Link to Article